If Muirfield is regarded as the King of East Lothian then
North Berwick is undoubtedly Queen.

Sometimes words cannot accurately describe a course and do it
total justice, you just have to go and experience it for yourself in order to
get a proper flavour of the place. The West Links at North Berwick is one of
those.

It’s an eccentrically brilliant links golf course.It's beyond quirky. It is
one of the oldest (and best) in the World and is like no other. I can’t
recall any other course that has 18 so vastly different challenges like
North Berwick has. Mouth-watering doesn’t even come close to describing it.

North Berwick has hosted many championships but I don’t see
it as a ‘championship’ course... it’s better than that.

Having co-hosted the 2010 Amateur Championship and final
qualifying for The Open in 2013 there’s no question that it provides a true
test to elite golfers, however, unlike many courses geared for top-level
play North Berwick offers challenges that can be enjoyed, savoured and
remembered for a lifetime by golfers of any standard.

Holes like the first, third, 13th, 14th, 16th and 17th are
played with such a smile on your face that the uniqueness of them will leave
a forever lasting impression. The spell-binding nature of these holes set
North Berwick apart as one of the World’s best and unquestionably most
delectable places to play golf.

These were the holes that brought the biggest grin to my
face but the individuality of all the holes at North Berwick may mean you
have your own personal favourites.

The opening hole is such a scary and fascinating hole yet
only 322 yards in length. Played close to the southern edge of the Firth of
Forth, and sharing the same fairway as the 18th, it has a sloping green that
sits at the top of a rocky mound with only the top of the flag visible from
the fairway.

The third is played over a stone wall some 300 yards from
the tee to a green that feeds in from the left but has a gathering bunker
short and to the right. Downwind and with firm fairways you need to make
sure you don’t drive too close to the wall, but in doing so you may leave
yourself a longer than desired approach, on a hole that measures 460 yards.
Into a stiff breeze and you may not be able to clear the wall with your
second shot.

The 13th is named ‘Pit’ for its sunken green location which
can the found at the foot of a large sand dune and on the other side of an
ancient stone wall from the fairway. The wall must be crossed and is in play
should your ball come to rest next to it.

Hole 14 is named ‘Perfection’ and has just simply
everything; a tee-shot to a tumultuous fairway, a blind approach over a
large ridge fronted by two large bunkers and the beach just meters from the
putting surface. There's a little bit of uneasiness and disorientation for
the golfer when playing the first part of this hole and this is what makes
it so brilliant.

Meanwhile the 16th boasts an angled green like no other
with three distinct parts; two narrow plateaus with a deep valley dividing
them. The green is one of a kind but it was the second-shot approach that
made the hole for me, the aerial route is not an option here.

Finally, the approach at the 17th must be played over a
cavernous bunker to a green adjacent to the first at the top of a hill but
in a sort of bowl. You get a glimpse of this approach after teeing off at
the second and the wait to play it is agonising. This tough hole also comes
at the perfect time in the round with the knowledge that the 18th is a
potential birdie opportunity.

There’s so much uniqueness to experience in the above half
a dozen holes that the heroic drive across the beach at the second, the
approach over Eil Burn at the seventh, central fairway bunkers at the 10th,
the iconic par-three 'Redan' 15th and the simple but inspiring return to the
village, courtesy of the ‘Home’ hole, can easily be missed on first
reminiscence.

The holes that ‘fill the gaps’ in this rollercoaster ride
of a golf course are also all sound holes. The short fourth, sixth and 10th
may be overshadowed by the influential Redan but will test your iron play,
especially in a cross breeze, whilst the three par fives, that come in a
stretch of just four holes around the turn, present their own challenges
largely due to the fact they are played towards three different points on a
compass. The positioning of the bunkers at the trio of longer holes is also
exceptional and makes you think all the way from tee to green. The fifth and
12th may seem mundane compared to the rest of the course but rest assured
they are not.

At North Berwick you will play some shots that you will
have never hit before and may never hit again. The sui generis nature of
this course must be seen at first hand.